The basic goal of the Amplitude Interferometer Program at the University of Maryland has been to achieve very high angular resolution, far beyond the angular resolution which is normally permitted by the Earth’s atmosphere. This program is primarily directed to the observation of objects of astrophysical and astrometrical interest.

The initial general science objective has been the measurement of the angular diameters of various single stars at various wavelengths. As shall be discussed later, this has been achieved on the current equipment.

The second objective of the Amplitude Interferometer Program is the study of binary and multiple star systems. Some initial tests have been conducted to validate the approach and the expected accuracy using the existing Amplitude Interferometer (AI). However, detailed tests and/or a regular observing program require the multiplexing capablity of the next generation Amplitude Interferometer (the Multi-Aperture Amplitude Interferometer) in order to have a reasonable observing efficiency for the use of the telescopes which would be involved